“Not a bit!” said he, tossing his head decisively. “She was a little too honorable to like her friends⁠—that was it!” Here Raffles again winked slowly. “Lord bless you, I knew all about ’em⁠—a little in what you may call the respectable thieving line⁠—the high style of receiving-house⁠—none of your holes and corners⁠—first-rate. Slap-up shop, high profits and no mistake. But Lord! Sarah would have known nothing about it⁠—a dashing young lady she was⁠—fine boarding-school⁠—fit for a lord’s wife⁠—only Archie Duncan threw it at her out of spite, because she would have nothing to do with him. And so she ran away from the whole concern. I travelled for ’em, sir, in a gentlemanly way⁠—at a high salary. They didn’t mind her running away at first⁠—godly folks, sir, very godly⁠—and she was for the stage. The son was alive then, and the daughter was at a discount. Hallo! here we are at the Blue Bull. What do you say, Mr. Ladislaw?⁠—shall we turn in and have a glass?”

“No, I must say good evening,” said Will, dashing up a passage which led into Lowick Gate, and almost running to get out of Raffles’s reach.